Bubbles of Delusion, with some Sex

What makes human beings unique is also our Achilles heel – the defect that may yet destroy us.

Like other animals, we have instincts, but, thanks to our large neo-cortex, we can gain some degree of freedom from them by choosing how to respond to them. This is something that must be learned. We are born helpless and incomplete. During our extraordinarily long childhood – when the cortex is developing – we are dependent upon, and vulnerable to, the conditioning controlled by caregivers.

Thus, the downside of our relative freedom from instinct is our susceptibility to ways of thinking and acting inculcated by others. Much of that training process occurs before we have the conscious awareness to understand what is happening, much less any ability to evaluate it for ourselves. A common consequence is lifelong subordination to authority figures of one sort or another.

The sense of self develops in relation to other selves: we internalize our caregivers’ and siblings’ understanding of what the world is, and our role within it. And the conditioning does not end when we become adults. Since our egos are inherently insecure, in need of constant reinforcement, we remain very concerned about what other people think and especially sensitive to what they think about us.

Why do we usually believe something, such as a particular political ideology? Not because that belief-system is based on evidence. It’s no coincidence that children normally have political opinions very similar to their parents’. We learn to believe something because it is believed by others whom we respect/identify with/want to be like/want to be liked by. We are good at finding reasons to justify what we believe, but it is much more difficult to examine critically and sincerely our deepest beliefs. In fact, we are not usually aware that they are beliefs: they are not just true, they are reality. We do not normally distinguish the stories we hold about the world from the world itself.

The Buddha was aware of this problem, and emphasized the importance of not being attached to views. He applied this to his own teachings, which he described as a raft that can help us to get across the river of samsara (this world of suffering, craving and delusion) to the “other shore” of enlightenment. He warns us not to think “this is a great raft, I’ll carry it with me everywhere.” Let it go!

In place of the Abrahamic duality between good and evil, Buddhism focuses on ignorance and wisdom – the insight that comes with awakening. Delusion (moha) is one of the “three fires” or “three poisons” (the others are greed and ill will) that cause suffering when what we do is motivated by them.

Because it emphasizes individual awakening and personal transformation, Buddhism has not had much to say about collective delusion. Yet it is of some importance that my delusions are usually not that different from the delusions of other people, especially those around me. I live within a bubble of beliefs that’s not separate from theirs: in fact, our bubbles normally overlap so much that we can refer to group bubblesof delusion. These collective bubbles can help us understand why the world works the way it does, especially the institutional structures that perpetuate social dukkha (suffering).

For American Buddhists, some examples of institutionalized delusion have recently been receiving much attention. Once again, sexual scandals by senior Zen teachers have come to light, which expose not only widespread suffering on the part of those abused but also widespread denial within the centers involved – something especially ironic, since the point of Zen practice is to free us from delusion, especially the delusion of an ego-self that is separate from others. I wonder if sexual abuse by teachers is not the fundamental problem for such communities: perhaps even more alarming is the inability of senior students to acknowledge and address such incidents in a compassionate way, which suggests a deficiency in their training. One person takes advantage of his situation to abuse; but he could not continue to get away with it without the complicity of many others.

Because of ego-investment in the enlightened example of their teacher, students – especially senior ones, who have the most responsibility, as well as the most at stake in the outcome – end up perpetuating a collective bubble of delusion regarding what their teacher is getting up to. There is cognitive dissonance between their image of the teacher and what they actually see and hear. They can’t both be true, so … they repress what their eyes and ears reveal. Or they rationalize it: the master is wise, so what he is doing must be okay.

Denial in such situations is not uncommon, of course, but it is especially damaging for those on a path of awakening. The motivation to deny or ignore is understandable, because personal benefit complicates the issue: long-term students have sacrificed much to devote themselves to intensive practice under the guidance of this particular master, and whatever authority they have gained, or hope to gain, derives from his approval. They are especially vulnerable to this father figure’s opinion of them. Yet such self-concern undermines the whole process of personal transformation for everyone involved. Not only do the students tacitly agree to maintain a collective bubble of denial; the need to do so conflicts with developing the compassion that is just as much the goal of Buddhist practice.

The sexual abuse is bad enough, yet what the scandals indicate is arguably worse: these Zen centers, which ostensibly exist to cultivate wisdom and compassion, are inculcating collective delusion and indifference to the suffering of others. When does such a community become a cult?

Such group bubbles of denial become much more difficult to dispel, or even to become aware of, because people consciously or subconsciously believe they benefit by not seeing them. That suggests a Buddhist response: by truly letting-go of the most fundamental delusion of all – a sense of self whose well-being is separate from others’ well-being – the self-interest that sustains the bubbles is undermined. Whether or not Zen students have realized their true nature, however, the challenge cannot be evaded. When teachers engage in inappropriate sexual behavior, members of their practice communities need to recognize that the kind of personal awakening and transformation they seek does not occur if they are indifferent to what is happening to other members of their community.

About David Loy

David R. Loy is a Buddhist philosopher who writes on the interaction between Buddhism and modernity. He has been practicing Zen since 1971 and is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo-Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David has taught at the National University of Singapore and Bunkyo University in Japan. From 2006 to 2010 he was the Besl Family Chair Professor of ethics/religion and society at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

12 comments

To properly comment your article would take me much more time that I have available. This being said, I do think that you are pointing in the right direction; beliefs system, what I call world of words ideas and ideologies; ‘….the stories we hold about the world from the world itself’. Is there another world apart from this world? Are our bias and prejudice by which we look from (viewpoint), the world as we view ‘it’? What we look from does profile a view of the world; the viewpoint is the view. This ‘is’, not being the is of equality or identity, but the ‘is’ of a dynamism, of process. Our viewpoint profile or shape our views, and vice versa, our views shape our viewpoints. Practice in one of its most important aspect is ‘…to examine critically and sincerely our deepest beliefs’. To become progressively more aware of our bubbles, what I call our ghetto mind. This may come as a big surprise for many, but our mind, be it collective or individuals are a Ghetto mind. You see, the whole problem is that we cannot make a clear distinction between our viewpoints and our views. Where does the viewpoint ends and the view start? Where is this line which would separate one from the other? There isn’t any, for our views are our viewpoints and vice versa.

These collective bubbles, can be functional or dysfunctional, that is they are world of words ideas or world of words ideologies.

A world of words idea gathers what we look at (view) with what we look from (viewpoint) into one flowing coherent and meaningful whole. It is verb, process, open, a whole vista unfold and as one walks along, the vista opens up, bringing endless opportunities. Ideas are functional illusions; they are an investment we make in a dynamic center; I as verb being one of those center.

An ideology tends to bend what we look at to that by which we look from, or vice versa, it is ‘nouns’, static, sort of mirroring each other, being self referential. Ideologies are dysfunctional illusions; they are an investment we make in a false center. I being one of those false centers. I as what I look from and/or I as what I look at.

Cognitive dissonance erupts when what we look at (view) does not cohere with what we look from (viewpoint) (the image or world of words ideological representation of the teacher). And you said it so well; both cannot be true. Dissonance is an integral part of life, of creativity and of koan practice, ‘great doubt or cognitive dissonance, great awakening, no doubt, no awakening’. It is when creativity fails that violence erupt. Denial ….. is especially damaging for those on a path of awakening.

The way I see things, is that Zen practice tends to erode this false center or the need of any center, this sense of self; No self or thing by which to look from or at; MÛ!

I think this was an excellent article that does well to define a problem that has occurred. How do we address these concerns effectively to prevent them, since these problems are essentially a reflection of our human nature and, therefore, won’t resolve themselves easily or without thoughtful intervention?

Whatever solution we come up with will not last. Today, we say the senior students need some course of training whereby they will learn to out a roshi who is abusing students. Tomorrow, we will need to train all students to be able to out roshis, as well as senior students. Proper governance is a moving target. How can it be otherwise, when my own condition changes from one moment to another? But common sense tells me that it starts with the orientation. During my orientation, the roshi did not assume that we would stay with the zen center. He lectured us on what a proper roshi should be like – no asking for money in exchange for training, no involvement with sex in exchange for training. I learned of Shimano’s problems before I knew of his name, since the roshi used him as an example without specifially calling him out. WE nee more suggestions…NOW! And we need to act on them…

Thanks for this, David, especially: “Because it emphasizes individual awakening and personal transformation, Buddhism has not had much to say about collective delusion. Yet it is of some importance that my delusions are usually not that different from the delusions of other people, especially those around me. I live within a bubble of beliefs that’s not separate from theirs: in fact, our bubbles normally overlap so much that we can refer to group bubbles of delusion. These collective bubbles can help us understand why the world works the way it does, especially the institutional structures that perpetuate social dukkha (suffering).”

I believe we need training for sanghas in group dynamics … there is a whole body of knowledge out there about how to do this so that the “group bubbles of delusion” can be recognized and pierced when they are developing — as they inevitably tend to do. Sanghas protect their bubbles by silencing and driving out complaining members who don’t subcribe to the group delusion — scapegoating them. Training in group dynamics/process would go a long way towards preventing such dynamics.

I think the most constructive thing the AZTA could do at this point would be to find some qualified professionals in group dynamics training (not “Zen insiders” but outside professionals) to develop a training program and make it available to sanghas across the country.

“With all due respect I felt deceived by the post’s linkbait-like title and warm and fuzzy intro only do read half way down to find it evangelizing on one religion over another.”

How is this evangelizing? He points out that the Abrahamic religions focus more on good versus evil, while Buddhism focuses more on ignorance and awakening. I don’t see how pointing out a difference has anything to do with evangelizing or proselytizing.

Thank you for this illuminating article! I think it’s very good that you mention the important position of the senior students in these cases. Because of the way zen is often practiced, they might not be used to taking responsibility for the wellbeing of people in the sangha. Especially where that would entail going against what the master is doing. Not because they don’t care, but because they are not used to taking charge in these matters. It would take a lot of courage to do so, but I’m sure it would really help.

As the Buddha says in in the Lankavatara, you choose your own projections of your mind. If you are involved in a sexual or otherwise objectionable situation with a teacher…or anyone, you have contributed to this encounter.

Eventually you will learn there is no teacher except your own life. It’s a lesson well learned.

“We are good at finding reasons to justify what we believe, but it is much more difficult to examine critically and sincerely our deepest beliefs.”

Sasaki Roshi said, “My hand just moves. It’s will-less (ishinashini).” Only zazen can do zazen, as Shunryu Suzuki declared to Blanche Hartman, and zazen can get up and walk around, and Kobun admonished a San Francisco Zen Center audience; the peculiarity of this kind of action is that it follows deepest beliefs, regardless of whether or not those beliefs are acknowledged. For me it’s not so much a process of examining critically and sincerely as it is simply discovering and acknowledging; the deepest beliefs are not the ones that I can control, although my logic certainly does play a role. Somehow whether or not I believe them is always slightly beyond my control.

The problem has to do with the “Zen beyond words”, the physical place that sits and walks and responds to the deepest belief with appropriate action, and the inability of Westerners to find sleep through simply being where they are. Or to wake up; “good morning, where am I?” as Sasaki asked at Cobb Mountain recently.

“Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces.”

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About David Loy

David R. Loy is a Buddhist philosopher who writes on the interaction between Buddhism and modernity. He has been practicing Zen since 1971 and is an authorized teacher in the Sanbo-Kyodan tradition of Japanese Zen Buddhism. David has taught at the National University of Singapore and Bunkyo University in Japan. From 2006 to 2010 he was the Besl Family Chair Professor of ethics/religion and society at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

About Sweeping Zen

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